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Quiet escapes in Croatia

I’m 22 and my aunt is a young 50. We want to go Croatia in June – somewhere with a sandy beach, culture and amazing food. We don’t like crowds. We aren’t getting a car, and we want to stay in one place.

Jane Foster, Croatia expert, replies

I suggest you stay in the tiny, car-free Lopud (one of the Elafiti islets), a 50-minute ferry ride from Dubrovnik’s port, Gruz (jadrolinija.hr). There’s just one small village – very peaceful, so bring some good books. Stay at La Villa (lavilla.com.hr), an eight-room hotel in a 19th-century villa set in gardens overlooking the sea; it’s run by a friendly young Croatian couple, and as of last summer has an excellent little restaurant.

Other options are the slightly grander Villa Vilina (villa-vilina.hr), with a pool, or Guest House Vulesa (apartmanivulesa.hr), an old stone farmhouse with two apartments with kitchenettes and tables outside on a vine-covered terrace. From the village, a footpath leads across the island (20 minutes), through dense, herb-scented vegetation, to the blissful Sunj beach, an arc of sand giving on to a warm, shallow bay. There are several beach bars, and one end of the beach is clothing-optional – naturism has a long history in Croatia.

From Lopud, you can take the ferry to Dubrovnik for a day exploring the medieval old town. The same vessel runs to the nearby islets of Sipan (you can eat authentic local seafood at Kod Marka; 00385 20 758007, overlooking the harbour in Sipanska Luka) and Kolocep (I’d eat there at the amazing Villa Ruza restaurant, villa-ruza.com).

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About Jane Foster

Based in Athens and Dubrovnik, Jane has written guidebooks on the Balkans, Croatia and Greece and writes regularly for The Daily Telegraph.